The Daily Planet was still mostly intact after the destruction Lex Luther wrecked, and the news never sleeps. Therefore both Clark Kent and Lois Lane were there early.
"Kent! Lane!"
They trodded dutifully to Perry White's office, sneaking glances at each other.
Oh my gosh, I'm back in junior high. Lois thought angrily at herself.
"I want you both to cover Superman. Find out what makes him tick. Anything you can dig up, I want. A profile perhaps…" He ran his hand across thin air, envisioning headlines. "Superman—Profile of a Hero" Run it like a survey. Work separately or together. Just get me that story by tomorrow."
With a flick of his head, they were both dismissed, and they stood outside White's office for a moment, shyly.
"I'll go… get my sweater," Lois said before walking to her desk. Once she was slightly away from Clark's presence, a surge of confidence spread through her. With an added sway to her hips she turned around to see Clark's reaction.
He was smiling, his eyes soft. Their gazes connected and she winked at him.
And she didn't need super hearing to hear Clark's quick intake of breath.
The two met outside the elevator. With a broad smile and a quiet "After you," accompanied by a gallant sweep of Clark's arm, they finally found themselves alone.
Lois looked up at him, so tall and so unassuming and had to giggle.
"How did I not figure it out sooner?" She asked, more to herself than to Clark.
Clark shrugged. "Nobody really noticed Clark Kent. I was gone for five years and the only one who said something was Jimmy."
The way he said it, like it was a casual observance struck her. There was hurt in his eyes, though it was quickly covered up.
Lois wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head against his chest. Underneath the shirt, she could slightly feel the raised "S" emblem and a surge of compassion went through her.
"Oh Clark, I'm sorry. I… I don't deserve someone like you. I was so caught up in the whirlwind romance of Superman, that I didn't notice that Clark Kent was even more deserving of my affections."
"Lois, it wasn't your fault. I had to act invisible or people might start to notice that I was never around when Superman saved the day."
Lois stood on her tiptoes and kissed the tip of his nose.
"You're a good man Clark Kent."
The doors opened to admit more people to the elevator, and Clark and Lois fell silent, traveling the rest of the way in companionable silence. Clark's fingers laced through Lois's and she rested her head against his shoulder.
Lois and Clark walked out into bright sunshine still hand in hand.
"Do you realize we have all day to conduct a five minute interview?" Clark murmured against her ear, trying his hand at this risqué stuff.
"All night too," she suggestively shot back.
Clark flushed a bright red and conceded defeat. Lois had him beat.
"Well what would you like to do today?" He cleared his throat, trying to dissolve the image of him and Lois together at night.
"Lets go get this interview finished first," She said. "Where can we go?"
Clark thought for a moment and then smiled. "I think I have an idea."
She turned to respond to him but he was gone.
"Clark? Cla- AGHHH" She screamed as she was lifted up by a blue and red blur.
They shot up into the sky together, Lois safely encased in Superman's arms.
"Standing up in mid air isn't the most convenient place for an interview, Clark," She finally managed to say while trying to hide how thrilled she was to be flying again.
Having Lois call him Clark while he was dressed as Superman was a totally new and not unwelcome sensation. It seemed like the first time that his two existences coincided perfectly. He felt equally Clark and Superman and he didn't resent either. He was so wrapped up in his own contentment, he forgot about answering her unspoken query.
"Clark?"
"Excuse me," he said in his Superman voice, smiling broadly at her. "Hold on."
In a quick moment he was laying on his back in mid air, floating high above the city with Lois sitting up, straddling his waist.
"It's alright Lois, I'd never let you fall," Clark said softly to reassure her.
She slightly released her death grip on him and finally sat all the way up, letting the wind stream through her hair. She closed her eyes and Clark simply watched her. She was beautiful.
Lois opened her eyes and to his surprise, she starting maneuvering on him until she was lying flat on top of him. She reached up to kiss him, their pace starting slow until it escalated into a fevered frenzy.
They were still floating amongst the clouds when she pulled away, and they both let out sighs before shooting each other secret smiles. Finally Lois pulled herself back up to her original position straddling his waist and pulled out her notepad. She laid it on his flat stomach and then couldn't help releasing a giggle at their position. She had never expected to conduct an interview with Superman like this! At Lois's giggles, Clark started laughing too, his stomach shaking.
Lois made a grab for the notepad before it fell off to oblivion, while mock scolding Clark.
"You can't laugh too!" She admonished, trying to write a heading on top of the page. Her words came out shaky and skewed because of her moving writing table.
"Forgive me, no laughing," He shot her a half grin. "Alright let's get this interview done. Though… I can't say I'm in too much of a hurry to get it over with."
An hour later, they still floated lazily in the skies, the notepad in front of Lois full of pages and pages of writing. Well… mostly writing. A couple games of hangman as well.
"And…. Ice cream? What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Lois asked, idly tracing the S on his chest.
"Umm," Clark thought for a moment,
"Strawberry. Definitely strawberry."
Lois sat up straighter. "Really? I had you pegged as an all chocolate kind of guy."
Clark shrugged.
Sighing contentedly, Lois lay back down on Clark, closing her eyes in contentment. It was slightly chilly, but with the sun beating down on them, combined with Clark's warm arms encircling her waist, she wasn't cold.
"As much as I'd love to stay here forever with you like this," Clark began, tightening his hold on her. "Duty calls."
Lois propped her head on his chest and looked up at him. "What?"
He was straightening up, as he spoke. "There's someone being assaulted down there. Do you mind if we--"
"Of course." She kissed him hard on the mouth. "Let's go."
She looked so determined, Clark had to stifle a smile. "Alright then, hang on."
He began to descend downward slowly.
"CLARK! Someone is in trouble down there! This is not the time to coddle me and go slowly. Faster!"
Now full out laughing, Clark obliged, speeding downward.
He deposited Lois on the nearby rooftop, promising to return in a moment, and then jumped down into the alleyway below. Lois peered over the edge, curiosity taking over.
Superman grabbed a man with a switchblade pressed up against a young woman's throat. He threw him backwards into the wall and then rounded on the two others, sending them both flying backward; shooting witty repartees out as fast as he was fling them aside.
He helped the young woman, who seemed to still be in shock, to the street and into a cab.
"Take her to the hospital," he commanded the cabbie, who looked utterly unfazed at the man in blue and red tights giving him orders.
Superman threw a twenty at the cabbie and shut the door, flying back up to where Lois stood, scribbling in her notepad.
"Do you always pay for attractive women's cabs?" She asked archly.
Clark groaned. "Don't you start in on me. Men like that are the worst. Every time I see someone about to get raped… well… I imagine it's you. That it could be you one time and I won't be there to save you. It makes me tend to use a more liberal amount of strength on those guys." He gestured with his arm to where thug number 3 was extracting himself from the brick wall painfully.
"You're sweet, you know that?" Lois kissed him chastely on the lips and then grabbed his arm.
"Now lets go flying again!"
Clark groaned good naturedly.
"I see we've developed a new favorite pastime."
Lois nodded and with Clark's arm firmly ensconced around her waist, they shot back up to the sky.
A few days later, after the survey had appeared in the paper, Lois Lane and Clark Kent teamed up again for a follow up article.
Superman—Not a Chocolate kind of Guy
By Lois Lane and Clark Kent
It seems after much thought and contemplation, Superman's favorite ice cream flavored has been confirmed.
"I'm definitely a strawberry kind of guy," Superman said conspiratorially. "It's not so heavy. Chocolate is overrated."
It seems once the news spread, ice cream stores around the city were offering up their wares. Ice Cream Plaza, owned by Kerry Yourin, boasts "Super Strawberry" as its new flavor and crowds are packing in to taste it.
"I don't understand why it's such a big deal," one Metropolis policeman said. "Strawberry is strawberry no matter what."
But they say that imitation is the best form of flattery and if so, Superman must be delighted. Ice cream giant "Freeze Wares" has been mass producing strawberry flavored Superman themed popsicles.
"It's shaped like his head," owner and proprietor Chaz West said. "The crowds love it. Superman himself is a regular."
When asked for his opinion about the new craze, Superman expresses satisfaction.
"I'm glad to see strawberry getting the mentions it deserves. Chocolate has dominated the market too long. Long live strawberry ice cream!"
Clark Kent reread the article and glared at Lois. "I did not" he said dryly. "Say 'long live strawberry ice cream.'"
Lois Lane shrugged and giggled. "Sorry Clark, I couldn't resist."
"The world now thinks I'm a joke, are you quite aware of that?"
Lois shrugged. "At least nobody will ever suspect Clark Kent as Superman. Who'd be delusional enough to write such a crazy article about themselves?"
Clark sighed and then laughed, shaking his head in resignation.
Hi guys, sorry for the delay. I couldn't resist writing more fluff, I can't stay away long! And yeah, I know the end of this was crazy, lol, it all just poured out, I didn't have it planned. Anyway, I'll be out of town from Sunday-Thursday but I'll try to get one more chapter in before I go. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!
Laura